How Much Co2 Can Cichlids Take?

[garybuk]

am giveing it ago!!! plants in my tank with cichlids my choice .....

but to get my plants to grow faster then my cichlids eat them i need to put co2(i think) in to my tank!!

but i heard/read someware cichlids really hate co2???

can any body help me please.... thanks

 

[dogboy]

not sure how much you can add but i do know more Co2 will make water more acdic so you will have to watch your pH as africans like it alkaline. i have used vallis with cichlids and it grew well without Co2

 

[wslinky]

I am setting up a Planted Mbuna tank as well, and as far as I have seen the best way of telling CO2 level is by judging the fish. I saw somewhere, wish I had the links, that it is a good idea to turn off the CO2 during lights out since it tends to build up.

 

[Colin_T]

A couple of ways to look at this. (1) How much CO2 can cichlids take? (2) How much oxygen can they do without?
Most cichlids can tolerate the CO2 required by plants but if they are rift lake cihclids they like high oxygen levels. The CO2 as mentioned above, could also drop the PH which will adversly effect these fish.

Most plants should grow fast enough with good light and iron fertiliser. They can get their CO2 from the fish, filter bacteria and the air.

Try feeding your fish with vegetable flakes and pellets, or fresh/frozen veges for humans. If they are frozen then defrost them first.

 

[garybuk]

I am setting up a Planted Mbuna tank as well, and as far as I have seen the best way of telling CO2 level is by judging the fish. I saw somewhere, wish I had the links, that it is a good idea to turn off the CO2 during lights out since it tends to build up.

defo wana know how it goes mate!! you cant really turn the co2 off (water yeast and suger!) i ment turn the bubbles off in the day has the plants are giveing off oxygen(ithink) but in the night the dont so that when you need the bubbles

A couple of ways to look at this. (1) How much CO2 can cichlids take? (2) How much oxygen can they do without?
Most cichlids can tolerate the CO2 required by plants but if they are rift lake cihclids they like high oxygen levels. The CO2 as mentioned above, could also drop the PH which will adversly effect these fish.

Most plants should grow fast enough with good light and iron fertiliser. They can get their CO2 from the fish, filter bacteria and the air.

Try feeding your fish with vegetable flakes and pellets, or fresh/frozen veges for humans. If they are frozen then defrost them first.

thanks i got one ov them constent ph meter so am ok there! but i heard about the ks or kh cant rember witch
i feed them veg food im always buying food for this fish they eat all the time

 

[Colin_T]

KH is carbonate hardness and refers to the carbonates and bicarbonates disolved in the water. The carbonates and bicarbonates are the minerals that gets used to neutralise acids in the water and keep the PH stabil. When the carbonates run out the PH can drop very quickly.
A quick way to bring the carbonate hardness up is to add some sodium bicarb, (baking soda).

 

[garybuk]

KH is carbonate hardness and refers to the carbonates and bicarbonates disolved in the water. The carbonates and bicarbonates are the minerals that gets used to neutralise acids in the water and keep the PH stabil. When the carbonates run out the PH can drop very quickly.
A quick way to bring the carbonate hardness up is to add some sodium bicarb, (baking soda).

hi i run my suger/yeast/water setup and got lods ov bubbles (co2 i hope) from it and my ph droped alot ! so you say add baking soda??? to my fish water??? iv stoped my co2 bubbles and ph is riseing again!

am very greatfull for you help!!

 

[wslinky]

defo wana know how it goes mate!! you cant really turn the co2 off (water yeast and suger!) i ment turn the bubbles off in the day has the plants are giveing off oxygen(ithink) but in the night the dont so that when you need the bubbles

You can "turn off" by removing the end of the hose from either the tank or the bottle so the CO2 isn't entering the tank.

KH is carbonate hardness and refers to the carbonates and bicarbonates disolved in the water. The carbonates and bicarbonates are the minerals that gets used to neutralise acids in the water and keep the PH stabil. When the carbonates run out the PH can drop very quickly.
A quick way to bring the carbonate hardness up is to add some sodium bicarb, (baking soda).

hi i run my suger/yeast/water setup and got lods ov bubbles (co2 i hope) from it and my ph droped alot ! so you say add baking soda??? to my fish water??? iv stoped my co2 bubbles and ph is riseing again!

am very greatfull for you help!!

Yes adding Baking Soda will raise the ph, you may want to add a tablespoon to a separate gallon of tank water so you know how much it will raise the ph.

 

[Colin_T]

hi i run my suger/yeast/water setup and got lods ov bubbles (co2 i hope) from it and my ph droped alot ! so you say add baking soda??? to my fish water??? iv stoped my co2 bubbles and ph is riseing again!

Carbon Dioxide is highly acidic and if there is nothing in the tank to buffer the acid CO2, the PH will drop. A drop in PH can also mean there is too much CO2 going into the tank. You can get PH controllers that are hooked up to the CO2 and when the PH gets too low the controller stops the CO2 getting into the tank. They are not cheap tho.
If you find the PH is dropping too quickly remove the CO2 or disconnect it as mentioned by wslinky. Aeration will help bring the PH back up by driving out the CO2 and allowing more oxygen back into the water. However, that defeats the purpose of adding CO2 for the plants.
You can use an airpump that is run from a timer. The air pump comes on at night when the lights go out, and turns off when the lights come on in the morning. The aeration provided by the pump will drive out excess CO2 and prevent the fish suffocating at night. By having it on a timer you can leave the bottle set up permanently and not have to disconnect the CO2 unit at night.
Having some limestone or shells in the tank or filter will help to buffer the CO2 and limit the PH drop. Adding a small amount of sodium bicarb each day will also help, (use a salt shaker with some in and sprinkle a bit into the tank). But be careful not to raise the PH too much too suddenly otherwise the fish will suffer from the PH swings.

 

[garybuk]

hi i run my suger/yeast/water setup and got lods ov bubbles (co2 i hope) from it and my ph droped alot ! so you say add baking soda??? to my fish water??? iv stoped my co2 bubbles and ph is riseing again!

Carbon Dioxide is highly acidic and if there is nothing in the tank to buffer the acid CO2, the PH will drop. A drop in PH can also mean there is too much CO2 going into the tank. You can get PH controllers that are hooked up to the CO2 and when the PH gets too low the controller stops the CO2 getting into the tank. They are not cheap tho.
If you find the PH is dropping too quickly remove the CO2 or disconnect it as mentioned by wslinky. Aeration will help bring the PH back up by driving out the CO2 and allowing more oxygen back into the water. However, that defeats the purpose of adding CO2 for the plants.
You can use an airpump that is run from a timer. The air pump comes on at night when the lights go out, and turns off when the lights come on in the morning. The aeration provided by the pump will drive out excess CO2 and prevent the fish suffocating at night. By having it on a timer you can leave the bottle set up permanently and not have to disconnect the CO2 unit at night.
Having some limestone or shells in the tank or filter will help to buffer the CO2 and limit the PH drop. Adding a small amount of sodium bicarb each day will also help, (use a salt shaker with some in and sprinkle a bit into the tank). But be careful not to raise the PH too much too suddenly otherwise the fish will suffer from the PH swings.

am very very greatfull for your help!! you helped me out alot! i thinking now i shudnt be stingy and buy a co2 kit... proper one with valve any co2 bottel! will be easy to control! i will keep the yeast kit going for now ! got most set up with the lights and air pumps on timers!

 

[Colin_T]

Home made CO2 kits are fine if you remember to stop the CO2 running into the tank after dark. Unfortunately they take a little bit of time to set up and have running at optimum levels.
The advantage of a home made CO2 unit is you can drink the end result. It's alcohol. When the solution stops producing bubbles you pour it through a coffee filter and add a small amount to some fruit juice. And you have cheap booze

 

[garybuk]

Home made CO2 kits are fine if you remember to stop the CO2 running into the tank after dark. Unfortunately they take a little bit of time to set up and have running at optimum levels.
The advantage of a home made CO2 unit is you can drink the end result. It's alcohol. When the solution stops producing bubbles you pour it through a coffee filter and add a small amount to some fruit juice. And you have cheap booze

HAHAHA nice one tho i dont think i would try that? whats the best messurment to get more co2! as i got a 6ft fish tank! atm im trying the 1pint suger to 1pint water and half tea spoon yeast?

i get co2 not that ofton but when i do it shoots 10 bubbles out this is hard to set up! lol ill keep trying! pratice makes perfect......

 

[Colin_T]

lol, You don't want to try your own home brew
It is how they make spirits tho. Sugar, water and yeast. Let it ferment and then filter and distill the liquid.

The easiest way to get more CO2 is to use a bigger container. A larger amount of mixture in a bigger container will grow more yeast and produce more CO2.
You can also use different yeast. Bakers yeast will die once the alcohol levels get above 6%.
Wine yeast will die when the alcohol content gets to about 16%
Spirit yeast will live up to 25 or 30% alcohol content.
Using a wine or spirit yeast will keep the culture going for longer and use up more of the sugar in the mixture.

 

[jonny]

I give those plants about three days before they are wrecked!